Anyone else read Steve Creedy's article in The Australian today. Summarising a few points from teh ACTU submission to the FWA matter
ACTU hits out over Qantas offshore jobs | The Australian
THE ACTU has has made a final plea to Fair Work Australia to "put a brake" on attempts to use artificial corporate arrangements for offshore jobs and avoid Australian award requirements.
In its final submission in a test case between the Australian and International Pilots Association and Qantas New Zealand subsidiary Jetconnect, the ACTU said evidence had borne out its suspicions that the New Zealand operation was a "sham employer" and its pilots were actually employed by Qantas.
"This case will set an important precedent on the offshoring of Australian jobs and the avoidance of award entitlements through the use of artificial corporate arrangements," the submission says.
"The ACTU urges the tribunal to put a brake on these practices by granting the remedy sought by the applicants."
The case is the latest chapter in a long-running dispute between the airline and its pilots about job security and moves to set up overseas subsidiaries.
The pilots argue the moves are an attempt to undercut Australian pay and conditions and have made job security a central issue in the latest long-haul enterprise bargaining agreement negotiations.
The issue has also been raised in Senate hearings into pilot training that are due to resume in Canberra today.
But Qantas says subsidiaries such as Jetconnect are necessary to allow it to compete at the same level as local operators.
ACTU secretary Jeff Lawrence said the unions were arguing Jetconnect was not a real airline and that it had no planes, no customers and no real assets.
"By using this sham arrangement, Qantas is paying wages to the Jetconnect pilots that are almost 40 per cent lower than they would be obliged to pay under the Qantas agreement," he said.
"This is despite the fact that the evidence shows the pilots are trained by Qantas, wear Qantas uniforms, and fly Qantas planes on Qantas routes bearing the Qantas logo."
A Qantas spokeswoman said that Jetconnect, while a 100 per cent Qantas-owned subsidiary, was based in New Zealand and therefore under New Zealand jurisdiction.
"It employs New Zealand pilots and it's a New Zealand operation with aircraft registered in the country," she said. "Therefore, we don't think there is any substance to the claims made by the ACTU."